Armour Collection B11F034 USAAF De Havilland Mosquito Mk. XVI Photo Reconnaissance Aircraft - 802nd Reconnaissance Group, RAF Watton, England, 1944 (1:48 Scale)"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few."- British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, commenting on the British airmen in the Battle of Britain

The "Mossie," as it was known affectionately by its British crews, was both simple in construction and design. It was a twin engine, single boom aircraft that placed the pilot and navigator in a side-by-side sitting configuration. The Mosquito was one of the most cost effective aircraft ever built because it was constructed out of wood. Balsa was used for the plywood skin, Sitka spruce from Alaska and British Columbia for the wing spars, and Douglas Fir stringers and birch and ash for the longitudinal pieces. These were all held together with glue and wood screws. The result was an airplane that was easy to maintain, tolerant of battle damage, and simple to patch. It was faster than the Spitfire, flew higher than almost any other aircraft, and carried tremendous firepower over great distances. The bomber version operated with relative impunity over Germany til the end of the war, because the Luftwaffe never had a nightfighter fast enough to intercept it. Interestingly, the nightfighter versions of the Mosquito remained in production until 1947, two years after the war in Europe had ended.

This particular 1:48 scale replica of a De Havilland Mosquito Mk. XVI Photo Reconnaissance Aircraft was operated by the USAAF's 802nd Reconnaissance Group, then based at RAF Watton, England, during 1944. Sold Out!

Historical Account: RAF Watton was a permanent RAF station built in the late 1930s and first used as a light bomber airfield housing for varying periods Nos. 18, 21, 34, 82, 90 and 105 Squadrons of RAF Bomber Command.

In 1943 Watton was turned over to the United States Army Air Force Eighth Air Force for use as an air depot. The airfield was originally grass surfaced but, during the American tenure, the airfield had a 2,000-yard long concrete runway constructed. A concrete perimeter track was built and a total of fifty-three hardstandings, of which forty-one were spectacle and twelve of the frying-pan type. The four original C-type hangars, arranged in the usual crescent on the northern side of the airfield, were backed by the permanent buildings of the pre-war RAF camp. Additional hangars were added and three blister hangars at dispersals. The construction of the airfield necessitated the closure of two public roads.